HandForged Ironmongery Articles

The Shakers were a religious sect evolving from the English Quaker movement founded by Mother Ann Lee in late 18th century Manchester, England. Following persecution she emigrated to America with some of her followers and founded the first Shaker village in 1774.

They believed in simplicity in all things and that if something was well made it was in itself, an act of worship. One of their popular sayings was “beauty rests on utility”. They eschewed ostentation and Shaker buildings, furniture and tools are all characterised by clean lines and lack of decoration. They didn’t believe in clutter in any form; a typical Shaker room would feature a peg rail running around it just above head height. Upon this, anything that could be hung, would be including cupboards and chairs - keeping it out of the way and making the floor easy to keep clean. Again avoiding clutter, all door handles in the room would be expected to line up.

Their industry was legendary and they are responsible for inventing some commonplace every-day items such as the rotary harrow, the screw propeller and the circular saw. The Shaker influence can be seen in many contemporary designs where graceful, uncluttered elegance complements the pure functional quality of the item.

Tags: General Ironmongery //